Food Waste Prevention + The Food Recovery Network

Our leftover food is donated to the San Diego Rescue Mission through a student lead group on campus through a national program called the Food Recovery Network. Visit www.foodrecoverynetwork.org for more info. Email Brandon.Murray@sodexo.com to volunteer & help get our leftover food to San Diegans in need!

Just-in-time cooking practices are employed in all kitchens on campus resulting in less food waste & fresher products for the students to enjoy.
In 2015, we began a Weigh the Waste program. We weigh the waste twice each semester out in the open for all to see. This program sheds light on the importance of not taking more food than you can eat. It’s eye opening & has proven to make a real impact!

Local Purchasing Program

30-40% of PLNU Dining produce is purchased from local farms. All of our milk is purchased from local dairies that do not use the hormone rBST. We purchase bread, buns & bagels for the dining hall, Point Break Café, Catering & Simply to Go from a local bakery, S&S Bakery, located in Otay Mesa, CA. We purchase all Bobby B’s pastries from a local bakery, Baked in the Sun, located in San Marcos, CA.

Sustainable Seafood

We purchase 100% sustainable seafood.

Sustainable Cleaning Supplies

92% of the cleaning chemicals that Sodexo uses are Green Seal certified, concentrated or sustainable.

PLNU Recycling

We recycle aluminum cans, cardboard, glass, aluminum, paper, oil, organic waste, plastic, batteries, ink cartridges & electronics. Fun Fact: On the PLNU Dining loading dock, we have three recycling containers + one compost container & ONLY on trash container! The dining team also strives to close the loop by purchasing recycled products such as office paper & napkins made with recycled fibers. Our employees are trained when they are hired, and then re-trained annually on the effects of recycling and how the operation contributes to the recycling effort.

PLNU Oil Recycling PL

French Fries to Fuel! Our fryer oil is recycled into biodiesel that is used to power a variety of vehicles – from delivery fleets to farm equipment.

PLNU Eco Award for reducing oil usage

PLNU Dining was very excited to receive an eco environmental excellence award for reducing our oil usage. Learn how much our saving impacted the earth here.

Sustainable Dishwashing!

Our dishwasher uses technology designed for 50% less energy & water usage than comparable models & is designed to reduce chemical usage. It also has an Energy Star rating (Energy Star is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voluntary program). Also, we purchase Apex detergent, which uses 95% less packaging than previous products.

No Trays Allowed

The PLNU Dining team, ASB & student groups partnered together to eliminate trays in the dining hall in April 2009. This saves about 300 gallons of water per day! Eliminating trays also helps reduce food waste, paper waste, energy usage, chemical usage. This program also helps to improve our local water supply & is an overall reduction of our environmental impact.

Xpress Nap holders

All restaurant locations on campus switched to Xpress Nap holders in the fall of 2007. These napkin dispensers have been shown to reduce waste by 50%.

Natural Lighting

The PLNU Dining Hall & Point Break Café use natural light or only turn on half of the lights whenever possible to save energy.

Point Break Cafe

In January of 2009, Point Break stopped serving food items on disposable plates and now uses washable plates & food containers to eliminate paper waste.

The Better Tomorrow Plan

In 2009, Sodexo launched a Corporate Responsibility roadmap, the Better Tomorrow Plan, which formalizes our commitments and allows us to track the implementation and results in the 80 countries in which Sodexo operates, taking our efforts to a higher level of performance and transparency. Check out the Better Tomorrow Plan website @ http://tomorrowstarts2day.com. Sodexo has been ranked, for the eighth consecutive year, as the best-performing company for Economic, Social and Environmental performance in the benchmark RobecoSAM ‘Sustainability Yearbook 2015’ as Industry Leader and Gold Class.
Sodexo is credited for its transparency and reporting. The company shares information on its sustainability performance, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, and its external auditors report.